The Hooks (3-2) have dropped consecutive games after starting the Texas League season with a three-game sweep at Tulsa. Corpus Christi will wrap its season-opening road trip tonight before heading home.

The Hooks’ bats erupted early, posting six runs during the first two innings.

Jon Gaston’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly brought in the first run, with David Cook following with an RBI double to right field. Jhon Florentino then capped the inning with a two-run double to left.

The Naturals got two runs back in the bottom of the first, but the Hooks added two more runs in the second on T.J. Steele’s run-scoring single and Koby Clemens’ sacrifice fly.

However, Hooks starter Jeremy Johnson couldn’t hold that 6-2 lead, as he was chased during the third inning when the Naturals plated five runs — four unearned.

Clint Robinson’s RBI single and a Johnson wild pitch made the score 6-4 with one out. After getting the second out, Johnson couldn’t finish off the Naturals, yielding an RBI single to Nick Van Stratten and Paulo Orlando’s two-run double to give Northwest Arkansas a 7-6 lead. The latter hit ended Johnson’s night.

Northwest Arkansas padded its lead with a pair of runs off reliever Erick Abreu in the fifth, with Chris McConnell delivering a two-out, two-run single on a 0-2 pitch. The Naturals added another run off Chia-Jen Lo in the seventh, with Johnny Giavotella racing in from third after a wild pitch.

After four scoreless innings, the Hooks’ bats awakened in the seventh. German Duran and Clemens stroked consecutive RBI singles, drawing the Hooks within 10-8 with two runners on and no outs. But reliever Federico Castaneda came in and got three quick outs to strand the runners and minimize the damage.

The Naturals then got one of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh on Orlando’s sacrifice fly.

Castaneda then finished off the Hooks for his first save, striking out six in three innings.